Community leaders have expressed their shock and dismay after a blaze ripped through a huge factory in Sudbury.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire at the disused Delphi engineering site, in Newton Road, where 50 per cent of the 100 metre by 100 metre building, was alight.
Multiple engines were alerted at 5.10pm yesterday to the incident at the building which was closed down in 2020, causing hundreds of job losses.
Sudbury mayor, Alison Owen, previously worked as an operator at the Delphi site for 35 years and left when it closed four years ago.
She said: “I am absolutely distraught. At the end of the day, I worked there for such a long time and it’s left me very unhappy and upset about it.
“It is a very personal place to me and many of my family members including my dad, sister and step-mum, who have all worked there as well.
“It may be an empty building but it’s still an important location for the town and it was the biggest employment spot in the area.
“It should have been pushed for it to be a place of employment by people higher than me. A building of that size should not stay there empty that long and it should have been sorted a long time ago.”
Crews from Sudbury, Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds, Clare, Haverhill, and Hadleigh were all at the scene yesterday evening with additional support from Essex Fire & Rescue Service, which attended with crews from Halstead and Colchester.
Residents who live nearby the blaze were urged to close their windows.
Cllr Jan Osborne, previous mayor of Sudbury, said: “I was very shocked and concerned when I saw the news and even a bit taken back to be honest.
“I was very concerned for the welfare of the residents in the area and it’s a big site that’s been empty for too long now.
“A lot of people have worked there at some point and every family in the town will have some sort of connection to Delphi.
“As a councillor, I will fight for it to be an employment site and we would love to see some sort of employment there so let’s hope something negative turns into a positive with this.”
A re-inspection of the building is under way this morning.
